CPS principals can hire teachers even if they failed controversial survey

July 21, 2011|By Noreen S. Ahmed-Ullah, Tribune reporter

Chicago Public Schools principals are no longer prohibited from hiring teachers who scored low on a preapplication screening, CEO Jean-Claude Brizard told them Thursday, a day after officials had defended the process.

The 100-plus-question survey was designed to bring the best teachers to the classroom, said CPS Chief Human Capital Officer Alicia Winckler. But applicants and union officials complained that the questions were subjective and that the multiple-choice format didn't allow them to fully answer questions. Principals said they were barred from hiring applicants who scored low on the test.

On Thursday, Brizard told principals in an email that they can go ahead and hire teacher candidates regardless of those applicants' performance on the survey. He said principals will have "maximum discretion" to use the results as they see fit in making their choices.

"As a former principal, I know the importance of hiring the best instructional talent and believe that principal autonomy is critical in making these decisions," Brizard wrote. "Teaching that engages our students and enables them to achieve their full potential is a complex skill that requires multiple proven methods to evaluate effectively."

CPS had been working on the survey's design for a year, and officials put it online and made it part of the application process about two weeks ago. But by then many principals had already conducted interviews and teacher observations, and when they went to hire who they thought were the best candidates, they were blocked.

Applicants and union officials wondered why a survey's results seemed to matter more than a teacher's certification, experience, graduate degrees and performance in a classroom.

They also questioned some of the questions themselves. Teachers were asked how they felt about working evenings and weekends or comment on more subjective statements like "I am often told that I am very organized" and "For very good reasons, people trust me to keep my promises."

The survey is part of a new online hiring process that CPS hopes will give principals the ability to search through all teaching candidates regardless of whether they applied for a position. Teachers will also get to search and apply for jobs at any time.

The survey was developed by Skokie-based General ASP, which designs human resources software for school districts and private agencies.

CPS officials say they tested the survey by sending draft questions to about 1,000 teachers. Those answers were then matched to principal evaluations for about 800 of those teachers. CPS officials say the results showed a significant correlation between high results on the survey and high marks from principals.